The Orbital Sciences Antares rocket will launch the second Cygnus cargo
freighter on the first operational cargo delivery flight to the International
Space Station. The mission is known as Orb-1. The Antares rocket will fly an
upgraded Castor 30B second stage motor for the first time. Delayed from November
and Dec. 8. [Nov. 28]
----------------------------------------
Dec. 19 Soyuz • Gaia
Launch time: 0912:18 GMT (4:12:18 a.m. EST)
Launch site: ELS, Sinnamary, French Guiana

An Arianespace Soyuz rocket, designated VS06, will launch on a mission from the
Guiana Space Center in South America. The Soyuz will launch the Gaia mission,
which will survey more than one billion stars, creating an astronomical census
and map to help scientists chart the evolution of the Milky Way galaxy. The
Soyuz 2-1b rocket will use a Fregat upper stage. Arianespace will oversee the
launch. Delayed from Sept. 19 and Nov. 20. Moved forward from Dec. 20. [Nov. 22]
----------------------------------------
Dec. 20 Falcon 9 • Thaicom 6
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida

A Chinese Long March 4B rocket will launch the Gaofen 2 high-resolution remote
sensing satellite. Gaofen 2 will collect high-resolution images of Earth's
surface for research and civil government applications. The main users of the
satellite are the Chinese Ministry of Land and Resources, the Chinese Ministry
of Agriculture, and the Chinese Ministry of Environmental Protection. [Nov. 7]
----------------------------------------
January GSLV • GSAT 14
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: Satish Dhawan Space Center, Sriharikota, India

Arianespace will use an Ariane 5 ECA rocket, designated VA216, to launch the
ASTRA 5B and Amazonas 4A satellites. ASTRA 5B will provide Ku-band and Ka-band
television broadcasting services for SES of Luxembourg, and the satellite hosts
an L-band navigation payload for the European Commission's European
Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS). Amazonas 4A will expand
Ku-band broadcast television services over Latin America for Hispasat of Madrid.
Moved forward from Dec. 13. Delayed from Dec. 6. [Nov. 14]----------------------------------------